The Dawn of Hope
by banditlover
Summary: ON HIATUS. SORRY!The Cullens live in Europe during the Holocaust. Bella is Jewish and escapes from a concentration camp. What happens when Edward finds her in the woods? read and find out! rated T because of Holocaust themes nd language.AU kinda ooc
1. Chapter 1: Discovery

**(a/n: this is my first ever fanfic and I'm only thirteen, so please be nice. Also, my bat mitzvah (Jewish coming of age) is at the end of May and I'm very stressed. I've written a lot of this story already on paper, but because of the stress, I might not have time to type up and post a lot of it until after my bat mitzvah********.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own twilight or any of its characters. I wish I did, but I don't********. Maybe Stephanie will let me borrow Edward sometime lol********.**

**Edward's POV:**

I had just finished draining a black bear when a wind blew from the north, carrying a scent so sweet, so appealing, so appetizing, it could only be human. But not just any human, this human had the most delicious-smelling blood I had ever smelled.

I found myself running north at full speed, following the scent to its source. My vision was tinted red, and all I could think about was gorging myself on the human's blood. When I was about twenty meters away, I stopped. I looked around, but I did not see my prey. I listened, and soon heard light breathing and felt heat emanating from a clump of bushes. Looking harder, I saw her, or parts of her, at least. Through the leaves and branches, I saw flashes of gray clothing, pale skin, and dark hair.

Instinctively, my muscles tensed, ready to spring, and venom flooded my mouth. I approached slowly and silently. I carefully moved the branches aside, trying to make as little noise as possible.

As I did, a strong wind blew from the south, blowing the human's scent away from me and filling my nose with clean air, which momentarily cleared my head.

I held my breath and froze, realizing what I was about to do. I was about to kill a poor, innocent, helpless girl. And she certainly was poor and helpless. Her long mahogany hair was knotted and dirty. Her pale skin was sallow-looking and littered with purplish bruises. She had a black eye and one of her hands stuck out at a slightly odd angle. She looked way too skinny; her ribs, collarbones, and cheekbones stuck out from beneath her skin.

She looked like she was sleeping, but suddenly, the eye that wasn't nearly swollen shut snapped open.

The girl's eyes were chocolate brown and full of fear. They looked deep, as if I could see through them, into her soul. I wish I had a soul.

The girl gasped and scooted backwards. "Don't hurt me, please!" she whispered hoarsely as she covered her face with her arm.

I had been wondering how this decrepit girl had ended up in such a sorry manner in the middle of the woods. Now, seeing the blue line of numbers tattooed on her arm, I immediately understood. This girl was a Jewish escapee of the nearby concentration camp.

My anger flared worse than my thirst ever had. I hated the Nazis and what they did to innocent people just because they were different!!! Not many people knew the truth, but my family did. I did not understand why Carlisle made our home here two years ago. All I knew was that I HAD to help this girl!

I scooped the girl into my arms. She did not scream at my cold skin or bold move as I expected, but merely gasped again and whimpered a little. I stepped carefully out of the bushes. Then, holding the girl (who I realized was actually an older teenager) bridal style, I ran deeper into the woods towards my house.

After a minute or two, I noticed the girl was shaking. Whether from fear or my cold skin I don't know. I arranged my features so that my face looked calm and reassuring. Then I looked down at her. She was staring up at my face.

"Shh, it's alright." I murmured gently through my teeth. It was all I had breath for. If I let any air in, which would surely be intoxicated with her scent, I knew I would lose control and kill her instantly.

The girl nodded ever-so-slightly and slowly relaxed her muscles one-by-one. Then she slowly closed her eyes. After two minutes, I heard her breathing and heart rate change as she drifted into unconsciousness.

* * * *

**Alice's POV:**

I was sitting in my room, reading a book, when suddenly I had a vision. The words on the page blurred then disappeared, and my vision took me into the near future.

_I saw the forest. Edward was approaching a clump of bushes in total hunting mode. He moved a branch aside, then quick as lightning, ducked down and grabbed whatever was hiding by the throat._

_A blood-curdling scream pierced the quiet, but it turned to a gurgle and then silence as Edward drained every drop of blood from the defenseless girl's body._

_Then Edward stood there, splotches of blood staining his shirt and dripping from his mouth, holding the lifeless girl. Now that reason had returned to him, he stood there with a look of pure horror on his face._

_The vision changed abruptly. Edward was running through the forest towards the house. He was carrying the girl, who was still alive. The girl was a mess: dirty and covered in bruises, and she had a black eye._

I forced myself to snap out of the vision. I realized what Edward was doing, and I had to tell Carlisle so he'd be ready.

"Carlisle," I said in a normal voice, knowing he could hear, as I ran into his office, "Edward found an injured girl in the forest and he's bringing her here. I'm sure he wants you to treat her. He'll be here in ten minutes."

"Okay Alice. I will set up an examination table in the living room. Why don't you go wait for Edward by the front door?" Carlisle suggested, standing and heading towards his chest of medical supplies. I nodded and left the room.

* * * *

**Edward's POV:**

About ten minutes later, my house came into view. It is very big with lots and lots of windows. My sister, Alice, opened the front door as I walked up the two steps to the door.

"Hi Edward! Is this the girl? Mmm, she does smell good. Carlisle's waiting for you in the living room." Alice told me.

_Wow, she looks a lot worse in person than she did in my vision._ I heard Alice think as I walked past her into the house. She followed me into the living room.

"Put her on the table, Edward." Carlisle said, gesturing to the examination table that had been set up in the middle of the living room.

"Let's have a look at our patient, shall we?" Carlisle said calmly, gently removing the girl's tattered gray dress from her body.

"Well, she obviously has a black eye and a broken wrist. There are bruises covering at least 60% of her body, some weeks old and some new. She is way too skinny and probably dehydrated and malnourished." Carlisle then gently turned the girl over onto her stomach and gasped.

"Oh dear!" he continued, "She also has severe lacerations, probably a month old, on her back."

Alice gasped too. I almost did, but locked my jaw just in time, remembering what would happen if I breathed in the girl's scent. There were long red lines all over her back. The red was broken up by a thin stripe of white every inch or so. The girl must have been harshly whipped.

"Well, what's the verdict Carlisle?" Alice asked, eyes still wide.

"We might be able to nurse her back to health, but it would take several months and she might not make it. I think it would be fairer to the poor creature if I just turned her now." Carlisle answered. I nodded once.

"Alice, could you bring the morphine please?" Carlisle asked. Alice nodded and ran up the stairs to Carlisle's office, returning a moment later with a syringe and a bottle of morphine.

Carlisle gave the girl a large dose of morphine and waited a few minutes for it to spread.

"You two should leave now. You can come back in an hour. I will call you." Carlisle told us. Alice and I nodded and left the room together.

**So what did you think? Not the greatest ending, I know. Sorry. But I didn't know how else to end the chapter. Reviews would be greatly appreciated. I will try to post the next chapter ASAP, but the earliest I'm ****guaranteeing**** is June 7. Really sorry, blame the bat mitzvah.**


	2. Chapter 2: Visitors

**(A/N: Hola peoples! That is my new favorite greeting. Sorry I haven't updated in forever, but I did warn you about my Bat Mitzvah. In case anyone's wondering, it was a complete success and the best day of my life. And now that I can breathe again, here's chapter two of The Dawn of Hope.**

**But before you begin to read, I have two more important announcements to make:**

**1: Thank you to everyone who added my story to their favorite or alert list! Also a big thank you to everyone who reviewed my story!**

**2: Taking the suggestion of emmett4eva, I have added Alice's vision to chapter one. So if you haven't read it, please go back and do so; it won't take you that long, it's only like 2 paragraphs.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight :-(**

**Carlisle's POV:**

Once Alice and Edward left, I turned back to the girl. "I'm so sorry, Miss. I hope the morphine works and I hope you can forgive me for what I am about to do." I said as I turned her over again onto her back. I turned her head to the side, and then bit her neck at the pulse point.

I injected as much venom as I could, trying not to think about the sweet, delicious taste of her warm blood and trying not to kill her. I also bit her wrists and her ankles.

I stayed with her for a while, watching her to make sure nothing went wrong. She was very still, not writhing in pain like the others had. I hoped that meant the morphine was working.

After an hour, I decided that Alice and Edward could come back in. A moment later, Alice raced into the room, carrying a bundle of what I guessed to be was clothes. "I saw your decision Carlisle. Can I dress her before Edward comes in? Please?" Alice asked me.

"Certainly. I'm going to see what Esme's up to. Call Edward in when you're done." I replied. Alice nodded, already concentrating on dressing the girl.

**Edward's POV:**

_Edward, you can come back in now. _Alice called out to me in her thoughts. I ran back into the living room.

The girl was still on the examination table, nearly motionless except for the soft rise and fall of her chest. I saw that Alice had dressed her in a short-sleeved pink blouse and a brown skirt embroidered with small yellow flowers. Alice was sitting in a chair next to the table. I pulled over another chair and sat next to Alice.

Alice and I sat watching the girl. A thousand questions floated through our minds. _What's her name? What's she like? Does she like what I dressed her in? – _Those were all Alice. I had different questions. _How long was she in the camp? How did she escape? What was she thinking when she saw me? _I realized that I hadn't been able to read her thoughts when I was running through the woods. Not that I had really been concentrating on anything other than getting her to Carlisle without killing her, but I hadn't even felt the presence of her mind.

Alice left after a while, but I remained.

**The next day:**

**Edward's POV:**

I was sitting with the girl when Esme came in. I hadn't moved from my spot since Carlisle had let me back in the room yesterday. "Hello Edward. How is the girl?" Esme asked me.

"Hello Esme. The girl seems good. She's very still though."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll check on you again later, okay?" she said, already heading towards the door. I knew the mothering instincts in her wanted to help this poor girl, but she knew there was nothing she could do for her.

"Sure. Bye Esme."

I couldn't help but hear Esme's thoughts as she walked away. _Look at the way Edward is watching that girl. So protective. I hope this girl will turn out to be his mate. Edward has been alone for too long. He needs to find his other half, like Carlisle is to me. He deserves to be happy, like the rest of our family._

Ahh Esme, always the doting mother. She is always worrying about the family; especially me and my lack of a love life.

**A few hours later:**

**Rosalie's POV:**

Emmett and I walked into the living room. Alice had told us that Edward had found some girl while he was out hunting and brought her to Carlisle. Apparently, Carlisle had thought it was best to turn her and Edward had agreed.

I didn't understand why Edward and Carlisle had wanted to drag yet another person into this awful, never-ending life of a monster. Okay, it wasn't exactly AWFUL; it did have its perks, such as being young and beautiful forever, and I did have Emmett.

In fact, I was the one who had brought Emmett to Carlisle. But I was still fairly new to this life; I didn't fully understand the consequences, whereas Edward is much older. Also, boys didn't have as much to lose when they became vampires as girls did. What if this girl wanted to be a mother one day? Now, that was impossible.

Okay, I did kind of understand where Edward was coming from. He has been alone his whole life and having to live with three perfectly matched couples. He is hoping this girl will be his mate.

But what if they are completely incompatible? I know I took that chance with Emmett, and everything turned out all right, so maybe it will for Edward and this girl too.

**Emmett's POV:**

Alice told us about the girl Edward found, and Rose wanted to see for herself. I was kinda curious too, so here we are. The girl was healing, but she still looked pretty beat up.

Thinking about it, I realized how similar her case is to mine. Rose found me dying in the woods, mauled by a bear.

Man, I don't think I'll ever get over that. I mean, this weak little black bear nearly tearing me to shreds? Impossible! Yeah, I know, the bear wasn't weak and little to me when I was human; but now, as a vampire, I could kill ten bears in an instant, and not get a single scratch!

But anyway, back to the similarities between me and the girl. Rose found me and saved me, and Edward found this girl and is saving her.

Hopefully, she will be the one for him; his mate. Edward says he doesn't mind being alone, but I can tell he does. I mean, seriously dude, you don't know what you're missing!

Eventually though, I got bored, so Rose and I left. I mean, no offense Edward, but until this girl wakes up and we can talk to her, I got better things to do than sitting around staring at her. Like, for instance, spending some quality alone time with my Rosie-Posie, if you know what I mean. Rawr!

**The next day:**

**Carlisle's POV:**

Today is the third day, so I figured the girl's transformation must be nearly complete. I went to check on her again.

"Hello, Edward. How is she? Any change?" I asked, going to stand next to the table.

"Well, her injuries have healed quite nicely, but she hasn't moved at all." Edward told me.

I examined the girl. Edward was right, of course; she was healed. The bruises and black eye were gone. Her hand wasn't sticking out, and her bones no longer stuck out from beneath the skin, but she was still slender. I gently turned her over and undid the first few buttons on the back of her blouse to see if the lacerations were gone. They were.

As I was redoing the buttons on the girl's blouse, Alice and Jasper came in.

"The girl will wake up in about two hours or so." Alice said happily, taking a seat.

**Jasper's POV:**

I sat down next to Alice. She twined her fingers with mine. I analyzed the emotions in the room. Alice was happy and excited, of course; Carlisle was calm, as usual; and Edward was anxious and excited, and also a little nervous.

Then I focused on the girl. She was definitely in pain, lots of it, so I guess the morphine either didn't work, or wore off. She also felt fear. That was odd. I didn't remember experiencing fear during my transformation. I was only aware of the pain, nothing else. I wonder what this girl is afraid of.

Well, I can't speculate about that right now, I have to work on strategies. Newborn vampires are twice as strong as older ones, and they are usually crazy with thirst and hard to control. I need to be prepared to protect my family, especially Alice.

Alice told me this girl escaped from a concentration camp. Even if her human memories are murky, horrors like that are not easily forgotten. There probably shouldn't be too many people here when she wakes up. We don't want her to freak out. I'll need Emmett; he's the strongest, to help restrain her if necessary. (Hopefully he will be strong enough). I will stay, of course; I can analyze her mood and calm her down if I have to; and I'm sure Carlisle and Edward will want to stay as well. That could be a good thing; Edward can read her mind, and Carlisle is very…easy to trust.

"Ten minutes!" Alice piped up suddenly.

"You should go now, Alice. Go upstairs." I told her.

"What? Jazzy, I want to be here when she wakes up. Please?" Alice pouted.

"No, Alice. It's too dangerous. Go upstairs with Rosalie and Esme where it's safer." I said adamantly.

"Can I see her after she hunts, then?" she begged.

"I guess, if she's stable." I sighed.

"Thank you, Jazzy! Rosalie and I will paint our nails in the meantime." Alice said, kissing my cheek before dancing out the door.

"Oh, could you send Emmett in here on your way up, please?" I called out to her.

"Sure Jazzy." Her voice floated back into the room.

Emmett came in a moment later. "She finally waking up?" Emmett asked me. "Yeah. You and I are in front. Carlisle, Edward, can you get our flanks?" I said, taking my place in front of the girl. Carlisle, Edward, and Emmett took their positions as well.

Suddenly, the girl's eyes fluttered open.

**Hoped you like it! I will try to update soon. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3: First Hunt

****

(A/N: Hi again! Thank you everyone who reviewed chapter two! I really appreciate your feedback. I don't really have an author's note this time, except: I hope you like it!)

**P.S. - A big thank you to emmett4eva for all her advice and ideas!**

**P.P.S. - Also, I wrote this story, but I did use a few phrases and descriptions directly from the Twilight series.**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. (Though she did let me borrow Alice for my Bat Mitzvah :-)**

* * *

**Girl's POV:**

The pain finally stopped! FINALLY!!! I had been through living Hell for God knows how long. The fire was unbearable! I wanted to kick and scream so loud it would break a window, but something was holding me back. I couldn't move my body at all, even to scream. I could hear someone breathing nearby, and sometimes talking, but I couldn't make out the words.

After awhile I realized that I could move again, but I also realized I couldn't scream. That's what they wanted, that's what they enjoyed. If I screamed, they would hurt me more; if I suffered in silence, they had to give up eventually, right?

So, finally, the fire receded to my heart before vanishing completely. My heart gave three slow, final beats, and then went silent.

My eyes fluttered open. Wow! Everything was so…clear. It's like I was blind before. (Though my left eye was swollen shut for about a week.)

I stood up so quickly and fluidly, it couldn't have taken more than a twentieth of a second. Then I realized I was face to face with four handsome men, one of which looked extremely strong and muscular. I recognized the man on the far left as the man who had found me in the woods. He had messy bronze hair and golden-topaz eyes. In fact, they all had golden-topaz eyes.

"Who are you? Where am I? What do you want?" I asked them warily. I was surprised by my voice; it was so different, higher and…prettier.

The man on the far right stepped forward. He had light blond hair and looked a little older than the others; in his early twenties. I noticed the others looked about seventeen or eighteen. I hissed.

I felt a strange calm suddenly wash over me as the man spoke.

"My name is Carlisle, and this is Emmett (he pointed to the muscular one), Edward (the one who found me), and Jasper (the last man). You are in our house in the middle of the woods. Edward found you lying in the woods and brought you to me. You were badly hurt, so I changed you into one of us."

"And what exactly are you?" I asked slowly.

"I, we, are…vampires." Carlisle said quietly, not meeting my gaze.

"Vampires?! You gotta be kidding me!" I said incredulously.

"See for yourself." He replied, pointing behind me.

I spun around. There was a large mirror on the wall.

I gasped. My skin was alabaster white. The bruises were gone. I looked at my left arm; the blue numbers were gone, too. I was beautiful. Then I noticed my eyes. The left was no longer swollen shut, but even more shocking than that was the color. My irises were a bloodred crimson. I didn't look like myself at all.

I took a step backwards, throwing my body into the sunlight streaming in through the window. My skin sparkled like a thousand diamonds.

"What have you done to me?! I'm a vampire!?! A MONSTER!!" I screeched, my voice rising through two octaves and still sounding perfect.

I felt more calm trying to wash over me, and I tried unsuccessfully to push it away as I saw in the mirror's reflection Emmett and Jasper step forward, arms open (probably to restrain me).

"Wait" Carlisle said to them, putting a hand on Jasper's shoulder. They stopped.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but please, calm down. Maybe you'll feel better after you hunt. Your thirst must be very uncomfortable."

I had calmed down, until I heard Carlisle mention hunting. I hadn't really been thirsty, but suddenly my throat was scorching. I craved…blood.

"What?! No! I can't kill people. I can't drink blood. I-I just can't!" I said, scared. _Actually, Nazis aren't really people._ I thought.

"You don't have to kill people. My family and I are different from other vampires. We don't drink human blood, we only hunt animals. You could be different, too, If you choose to be so." Carlisle told me.

I relaxed. "Okay, I will only hunt animals like you do, but I don't know how." I told them.

"Don't worry, Edward will go with you." Carlisle said.

I turned around to look at Edward. He gave me a small half-smile.

Emmett turned to look at Carlisle. "What, Edward went like three days ago, and I haven't been hunting in a week! How come he gets to go?" Emmett asked him.

"First of all, she's Edward's responsibility; he found her, so he'll teach her how to hunt and take care of her until she's settled into this new life and our family. And second, because Jasper and I went yesterday, and I'd rather she not form a habit of playing with her food." Carlisle answered him, a small smile now tugging at the corners of his lips.

Edward and Jasper chuckled.

"Whatever." Emmett grumbled.

"Shall we go now?" Edward asked in a velvety voice, turning to me. I nodded. "Then follow me." He said, running out the door. I raced after him out of the house and into the woods.

Running felt AMAZING! It was second nature; I didn't have to think about it. The forest floor felt soft and pliable under my feet. I was running at superhuman speed, yet I could see every detail of the trees and bushes I raced past. And I didn't get tired. At all.

"So, you never told me what your name is." Edward said to me after a minute. We were running side by side.

"My name is Isabella Swan, but you can just call me Bella." I told him.

"Okay, Bella. Stop here for now." Edward said, stopping. I stopped. "Today, we are hunting elk. Now, close your eyes." He said. I closed my eyes.

"What do you hear? What do you smell?" he questioned.

I explored the forest with my ears and nose, letting my senses range out in all directions.

"Elk, I guess, a half-mile north?" It came out like a question.

"Very good. How many?" He continued.

"One?"

"Close, there are two of them, but one is young. But not bad. C'mon, let's go!" He yelled, running again. I ran a little ahead of him, following the elks' scent.

Suddenly, I caught a much sweeter, more appealing scent: a human. I turned right, changing my course to hunt the human. I felt someone behind me, and the instinct to prevent him from taking away my prey kicked in. I stopped running and spun around, going into a defensive crouch, and growled.

It was Edward behind me. He had his arms out, probably to hold me back. This cleared my head a bit, and I realized what was happening. Then, a wind blew from the opposite direction, filling my nose with clean air and clearing my head further.

I straightened out of my crouch. "I have to get away from here. Is there any way to stop smelling?" I asked.

"Hold your breath. We don't have to breathe." He told me.

So I cut off my air supply and started running away from the human because I hoped that the distance would help. I felt someone behind me again, but I knew it was Edward.

I stopped when I got back to our original spot, where I had first smelled the elk. Edward stopped a few feet away from me. "How did you do that? How did you stop hunting?" He demanded, his face showing his shock and surprise.

"Do what? I realized I was about to kill a human, so I stopped. I don't want to be a monster. I don't want to kill people. There are already enough Nazis in the world." I told him angrily. I was confused. What did he want to have happened?

Edward's face softened a little at that.

"I'm sorry. It's just so…amazing! Mature vampires, such as Carlisle and myself, have a very hard time resisting the scent of human blood when we are hunting. That is why we hunt away from civilization, so we are not exposed to temptation. I didn't think any humans would be so far off the trail. I should have checked. But I have never seen a newborn vampire with even half your self-control." He explained to me.

"Oh. Well, let's go hunt some animals then." I said. I closed my eyes and let my senses range out again. This time I found a black bear. I ran towards it. When I was about five meters away, I pounced.

I landed on the bear's back. It stood up on its hind legs, but I had no trouble staying on. It growled as I turned my head and bit its throat. My teeth cut through the fur, skin, and muscle like a knife through butter. The warm, wet blood was sweet relief to my burning throat, though it tasted a bit funny.

"It tasted weird." I told Edward, who had been watching me from a nearby tree, when I was done.

"Yeah, animal blood takes a bit of getting used to. But carnivores taste more like humans than herbivores and omnivores do." He told me, jumping lightly from the tree.

"Are there any carnivores nearby? I'm still thirsty." I asked Edward.

"No, but there's plenty of deer." Edward replied.

"Fine, let's go hunt some stinking deer." I sighed. Edward laughed.

We found five of them by a river.

I watched Edward this time. He was much better at it than I was. He pounced gracefully, like an arrow arcing from a bow. His clothes remained spotless, whereas mine were torn and covered in dirt and blood after the bear and two deer.

Edward must have seen the look on my face as I examined my clothes, because he said, "Don't worry, you did fine. I've had almost a century of practice."

My jaw dropped. "A century?!"

"Yep. I've been a vampire for ninety years."

"Wow" was all I said.

"Here" Edward said, slipping his shirt off and handing it to me. "Thanks" I replied, putting it on over my clothes. I noticed that Edward looked very good without a shirt on.

"Come on, let's go home." He said.

"I'll race you!" I told him, running ahead.

It was a piece of cake to follow our scent trail back to the house. The only thing I had to worry about was beating Edward. We were neck-and neck until the end. Then Edward put on a last burst of speed and won.

My pealing bell laugh mingled with his velvety one as we walked through the front door. I didn't know why we were laughing, but it felt good. I hadn't laughed in a long time.

"Hey, good race." I said, punching Edward lightly on the arm. He stopped laughing. "Um, carefully Bella. Ow."

I hadn't hit him that hard, had I? My face must have shown my confusion, because Edward explained, "Newborn vampires are a lot stronger than older ones. It wears off in about a year."

"Oh, sorry" I apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, Carlisle and Jasper are waiting for us in the living room."

We walked back into the living room and sat down on one of the love seats, across from Carlisle and Jasper. The table that had been my pyre had been removed.

"So, how was the hunt?" Carlisle asked.

Edward answered before I could. "It was great. You'll never believe what happened! See there were some hikers in the wrong place at the wrong time, and-"

Edward was cut off but Jasper's soft hiss; it was so low I could barely hear it, but I did. I shrank back against Edward's side. I didn't want to admit it, but Jasper scared me a little. Edward put his arm around my shoulders. It made me feel all tingly and excited.

At the same time as Jasper hissed, Carlisle rebuked Edward. "Edward, that was very irresponsible! You should have checked the area to make sure there were no humans around."

"You're right Carlisle, I'm sorry. But it's not my fault that Bella here is stronger than anyone I've ever met."

"Poor choice of words, brother." Jasper muttered.

"Ignore him, Bella. It's not my fault they jumped to conclusions." Edward told me.

Carlisle and Jasper looked up at him, surprised. "You mean she didn't hunt the humans?" Carlisle asked.

"She started to, but then she heard me behind her and stopped and turned around. Once she realized what was happening, _she held her breath and ran away._" He told them excitedly.

Their shocked faces looked from me to Edward and back again. "Amazing" Carlisle exclaimed. Jasper looked Edward in the eyes. He seemed to be telling him something, but his lips never moved. Then he turned to me. "I'm sorry, Bella. I acted very rude to you before. It's just that I've seen a lot of crazy newborn vampires in my time, and I was expecting the worst. But you don't even act like a newborn." Jasper said, apologizing.

"Don't worry about it Jasper. I forgive you." I said.

"Um, Jasper, Alice really wants to meet Bella." Edward told him.

"Who's Alice?" I asked curiously.

"Alice is my wife." Jasper informed me.

"Oh. Can I meet her?" I asked hopefully.

"Sure," Jasper said, smiling, "But just to warn you, she can be a bit…enthusiastic. Oh, Alice?"

Suddenly, a petite, pixie-like girl with short, spiky black hair appeared at the bottom of the stairs. She danced gracefully over to me and gave me a hug. "So your name's Bella. Hi, Bella, I'm Alice. Oooh we are going to be best friends, I've seen it!" she said excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"Calm down, Alice." Jasper said, smiling again. Alice immediately calmed down and sat on the couch next to Jasper.

"Bella, I was wondering if you could tell us what you remember about your human life and your transformation?" Carlisle asked me.

"Sure Carlisle, I'll try." I replied.

"Wait, we should get Emmett and the others. I'm sure everyone wants to hear this." Edward said before I could begin.

"How many of you are there?" I asked.

"There's Carlisle and his wife, Esme (a kind-looking brunette in her early twenties raced down the stairs); Emmett and his wife, Rosalie (Emmett and a gorgeous blonde came down together); Alice and Jasper, who you know; and me." Edward stated.

"Where's your wife?" I asked quietly. All couples, figures. Emmett's booming laugh startled me. "Wife? Ha! Edward's never even had a girlfriend!" Emmett laughed. That made me feel better. At least Edward was available. And he was the handsomest, nicest one; and he saved my life.

All the couples moved to sit next to each other on the several couches and love seats in the room. Edward and I stayed where we were; next to each other on a love seat.

"I was born September 13th, 1924 in Italy." I began.

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**IMPORTANT: READ!!!**

**(A/N: Sorry to leave you hanging there. I'm going to visit my grandparents out of state in about a week, and their computer is slower than a snail covered in molasses. I'll be staying until mid-July, so I'll try to post chapter four before I leave, but I can't make any promises. Sorry, please don't hurt me!)**

**-Banditlover**


	4. Chapter 4: Bella's Story

**(A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed my story! I really appreciate it!**

**I said I would try to post chapter four before I left on my trip, and here it is! I'm not sure if I will be able to post anything while I'm away on my trip, but I will try. If I can't, it's either because I was too busy, (sorry folks, but my life does not revolve around the computer), or because my grandparents' slower-than-a-snail and older-than-Edward computer couldn't do it (and it's not like my grandparents could help: my grandpa is technically-challenged, and my grandma can't even hold a mouse LOL!) But, if I can't post anything, I will at least hand-write more of the story.)**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I am not Stephanie Meyer. Therefore, I do not own Twilight :-(.**

**Also, some events in this chapter were taken from the Holocaust book, ****The Devil's Arithmetic****, which I also do not own.**

**Also, parts of this chapter may have come from the life stories of various Holocaust survivors that have spoken at my school/Hebrew school. (Just so you know that these horrors are true, and some of them too terrible to be made up by me.)**

**NOTE: PLEASE READ!**

**Also, some of you might be a little confused with Bella's story, so i thought up a way to hopefully make it less confusing: Pretend that Bella is in the Cullen's house, and is looking back on her human life and writing about it in a diary instead of telling the Cullens.**

**NOTE: IMPORTANT! READ!**

**THE SUGGESTION ABOVE IS MEANT TO MAKE THIS CHAPTER LESS CONFUSING!!! BUT BELLA IS NOT ACTUALLY WRITING THIS IN A DIARY, SHE IS ACTUALLY SPEAKING TO THE CULLENS!!!**

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_**At the end of chapter three:**_

_All the couples moved to sit next to each other on the several couches and love seats in the room. Edward and I stayed where we were; next to each other on a love seat._

"_I was born September 13__th__, 1924 in Italy." I began._

**Bella's POV:**

"I was born September 13th, 1924 in Italy. Shortly after my younger sister, Jessica's, fifteenth birthday in June, the Nazis came. They took my whole village. We were packed into the cattle cars like sardines, with no food or water for three days.

When we got to the concentration camp, they finally let us off the cattle cars. I was devastated when I discovered that my best friend, Angela, who had severe asthma, had suffocated. Two older women and a baby boy had also died.

We were made to make a line behind the gates of the camp. At the gates was a Nazi officer; he told you to go left or right. When my family got to the gates, he told my mother and Jessica to go to the left, and my father and I to go to the right. We hugged and kissed and said, 'Goodbye, we'll see you later. I love you.' before the Nazi pushed us in separate directions. I'm glad I remembered to say 'I love you', because I never saw my mother or sister again. They had been sent straight to the gas chambers.

Angela's mom worked in the sorting shed; she told me that's where my father was, too. I hadn't known where he was because the men and women stayed in separate barracks, and I worked in the kitchen. The sorting shed was this big room with lots of tables in it. On the tables were all the Jews' clothing, jewelry, and other former belongings. The people working in the sorting shed sorted through everything, categorizing it. The good things were sent back to Germany, while only the most threadbare clothing was kept here for us to use.

We got two meals a day of potato soup and hard rolls. It was the job of the people who worked in the kitchen to cook the meals and clean the pots and pans and the kitchen itself. It was hard work, but I am a good cook, and it was not as hard as chopping firewood or working in the fields. I would not have lasted if I had one of those jobs; I am terribly clumsy and probably would have dropped an axe on my foot. **(a/n: it IS Bella after all, lol)**

But anyway, after our evening meal, we were allowed to roam around for an hour before we had to return to our barracks.

I'd been in the camp for about three months. The day after my eighteenth birthday, I was wandering around after supper, when I saw my new friend, Chaya. Chaya was struggling to get away from a drunken guard. She was new, she had only been in the camp for a few weeks, and the lifestyle there had not yet affected her appearance. She was very pretty, and the guard wanted her company, if you know what I mean. I tried to help get the guard off of Chaya. I punched him in the stomach. He yelled for backup. More guards came. They pulled us off him and whipped us, thankfully nothing more.

A month later, we planned our escape. Originally, it was just going to be Angela's parents and my father and me; but I would not leave Chaya and her younger sister, Bracha, behind. We bribed the guards to leave our barracks unlocked and unguarded. Angela's mom, Chaya, Bracha, and I snuck out at midnight and made our way silently towards the tree where we would meet the men. About a quarter of the way there, we saw a guard walking around, about five or six barracks away from us. Chaya and Bracha were scared and wanted to turn back, but I thought we could make it.

Chaya hugged me and whispered, 'Now is not our time. We have survived this long; we can survive a little longer. Bracha and I will go back. But, now is your time. You go. We will see you again someday.'

I hugged her back. 'I will come back for you, someday. I will find you again. I won't leave you here. That is a promise.'

'I know. Now go, before it is too late.' With that, we went our separate ways.

The men were waiting for us when we got to the tree. The tree was right next to the wall surrounding the concentration camp, and so tall, it extended above the top of the wall. It also had lots of branches all up its trunk, not just at the top.

'Where are the other two girls?' my father asked.

'They got scared and went back.' I told him.

'C'mon, we got no time to waste.' Angela's dad said.

I started to climb up the tree. I was followed by my dad, Angela's mom, and Angela's dad at the rear. Halfway up, Angela's dad's branch broke, and he fell to the ground. Angela's mom jumped down to see if he was okay.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded, and big searchlights came on.

'Go, go, go!' my dad shouted above the alarm.

I kept climbing, but my heart was pounding. I didn't know if I would be fast enough. And I felt that I was letting Angela down by leaving her parents behind.

Then my dad's branch broke, too, but he caught himself a few branches down. I immediately started to climb down to help him, but he said, 'No, I'll be alright; just keep going.' I froze, undecided. Then I looked down at his face. 'I love you, Dad.'

'I love you, too, Princess. Good luck, and may God be with you.'

I climbed to the top of the wall, and then crawled onto it. I looked down the other side; the side of freedom. There was nothing on the ground below me. I took the leap of faith. I put my hands out in front of me to break my fall, and I heard my bones crack as I landed on the other side. It hurt like hell, but I knew I had to get as far away from the camp as possible. So I got up and ran. I ran all night.

As I was running, I cried at the thought of leaving my father behind with those monsters. Half my brain screamed at me. _How could you leave him there to die? How __could__ you? He was all you had left. Now everyone in your family is gone. You are all alone._

The other half of my brain yelled at the first half to shut up. _It's not your fault; you couldn't have done anything to save him. He knew he wasn't going to make it, but he knew you still had a shot. He wanted you to live. Besides, they'll all be together now, in heaven. Mom, Dad, Jessica; safe and happy in heaven; all together and free at last._

I desperately hoped that the latter half of my brain was right, but I couldn't get the sounds of my father, struggling to keep climbing as the Nazis closed in out of my head. After an hour of running, I couldn't think any more; I could only run.

Near dawn, I stopped to rest, exhausted. I hid in a clump of bushes. I curled up in a ball and fell asleep instantly; gladly welcoming the black, dreamless peace.

A few hours later, I woke with a start. A man was hovering over me. I was terrified; my first thought being that he was a Nazi, sent out to look for me. I tried to get away, but there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. I closed my eyes, waiting to be beaten, shot, or dragged back to the camp; I wasn't sure which. I was surprised when he picked me up, and gently at that. After a minute, I opened my eyes. He was carrying me and running extremely fast, but I was barely jostled. Watching the green blur of the forest rush past at dizzying speeds made me nauseous, so I looked at the man's face instead. I didn't recognize him as any of the guards from the camp. Suddenly, I noticed how cold I was; I was shaking. Then he looked down at me; his gold eyes seemed to darken as they stared into mine. 'Shh, it's all right.' He told me. His voice was smooth like velvet. Looking at his face and hearing his voice, I instantly believed him. I knew this man couldn't be a Nazi, because no Nazi would ever look at a Jew this way. I felt safe in his arms, so I let myself drift back to sleep.

Awhile later, I'm not sure how long; I felt something sharp cut into my neck, wrists, and ankles. A minute later, I felt the fire. It was excruciating. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't move my body. For a long while, all I felt was the overwhelming pain and all I thought was that I'd rather die. But then, struggling to think through the pain, I realized I had some questions: Where was I? What was this fire I felt? Who did I hear breathing, and sometimes talking, next to me? Why can't I move?

I figured out the answers to my questions, too. Or I thought I did. The answers are all wrong; I know what happened to me now, but here's what I thought was happening then:

The man had lied to me. He was a Nazi, and I was back at the camp. The fire was some kind of punishment they were torturing me with before they killed me. I hoped they hadn't done the same to Angela's parents and my dad. It was Nazis I heard breathing and talking next to me. The only question I couldn't answer was why I couldn't move. Actually, I still don't know the answer to that.

After another long while, I realized I could move again. And I also realized in the same instant why I shouldn't thrash around or scream, even though I could, and wanted to so bad. Now, again, I thought I was in the camp, surrounded by Nazis. I thought:

I can't scream, that's what they wanted. That's what they enjoyed. If I screamed, they would hurt me more. If I suffered in silence, they had to stop eventually, right? So I waited for them to give up and kill me. I counted the breaths of the person next to me to pass the time and focus on keeping still and not screaming.

Finally, the pain stopped. I opened my eyes, and here I was." I finished simply.

I looked around at everyone's faces. They all wore the same expression: eyes wide and mouths open in shock, amazement, and possibly horror. Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, and Edward's eyes also showed grief? And sadness?

Edward was the first to find his voice. "Wow. That is…the most amazing and…heartbreaking human life of a vampire I've ever heard."

"Thanks" I said sarcastically. Great, now they pitied me. They probably think I'm weak. I hate it when people think I'm weak and pity me. Yeah, it's a horrible story, but I'm strong, I survived, no need to pity me. Besides, physically, I'm stronger than all of them.

"I mean, I don't think I could have survived all that the way you did." Edward said.

Then Carlisle spoke. "I don't think any of us could have survived that. You are very strong. Also, I think I know why you couldn't move during your transformation: I had given you morphine before I bit you in the hopes that it would make your transformation less painful. Obviously, it did not have the desired effects. I'm sorry it didn't work and I'm sorry you thought we were Nazis. You have given me a lot to think about. Do you have any questions about vampires?"

I thought for a moment. "Uh…yeah. Why are your eyes gold and mine red?"

Esme answered, "Our eyes all started off red. Yours will stay red if you drink human blood, but if you drink only animal blood, they will lighten up and turn gold in a few months. Also, our eyes, and yours too, eventually, get darker and darker as we get thirstier. They will turn black after about two weeks, but they will go back to gold after you've hunted." I sighed in relief. I had been totally creeped out when I saw my red eyes.

Another question came to my mind. "Also, it seems like some of you have…super powers?"

"Yeah, Edward is Mind Reader Man!" Emmett laughed.

"I can see the future, Jasper can feel people's emotions and influence them, and Edward can read minds." Alice told me.

"Actually, I can read minds with one exception." Edward corrected.

"What's the exception?" I asked, turning to face him.

"I can't read your mind." His family looked more surprised than I was.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I don't know. It's kind of like a sixth sense. But it's like I'm blind to you. You're sitting right next to me, but your thoughts aren't. It's like your thoughts don't exist." He elaborated.

"Weird." I said, but secretly, I was glad. I didn't want him to know I had a huge crush on him.

"I have a theory," Carlisle explained, "I believe that each vampire brings their most dominant trait from their human life into their vampire life. Sometimes, this results in extra…powers. Maybe your 'power' is a shield. Your mind is protected by a shield from Edward's probing."

"That makes sense. Cool. Hey, shouldn't I be tired? Edward and I ran, like, twenty miles on our hunt." I said to no one in particular. It was Rosalie that answered me this time. "We don't get tired. We don't sleep."

"Ever?"

"Ever."

"Interesting. Well, I can't think of any more questions to ask." I said.

"Okay. Well, I have some paperwork to do for the hospital. I'll be in my office. Bella, if you think of any more questions, just come and ask me." Carlisle said, standing. "Or you could ask one of us," Alice piped up, "Carlisle's not the only vampire expert in the Cullen house."

"Okay. Thanks Carlisle. Thanks everyone." I said.

**Third person POV:**

_Everyone went their separate ways. Carlisle went to his study, Esme went to her room to read, Emmett and Jasper went outside to wrestle, Edward went to practice his piano, and Alice and Rosalie dragged Bella upstairs for makeovers._

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**(A/N: So, I hope you liked chapter four. Some of you may have realized that Bella would probably sound funny telling the Cullens certain parts of her story, especially about her encounter with Edward. I know. I couldn't think of a better way to do it, besides putting this chapter at the beginning of the story, which I didn't want to do. But wouldn't you rather me make Bella's story good, interesting, and detailed than worrying about how it sounds to the Cullens??? Also, I know her story jumps back and forth between past tense and present tense, but seriously, that kind of stuff annoys the heck out of me, and it's hard to make everything past tense and some of it sounded better in present tense anyway. But just so you know, Bella's whole big shpeil (story) about her human life and transformation happened in the past, obviously. )**

**Sorry to rant like that. Anyway, please review!!!**

**~Banditlover~**


	5. Chapter 5: Makeover

**(A/n: Well, here's chapter five of The Dawn of Hope. Sorry it took so long to update, I just got back from my trip two days ago. And yesterday I saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with my cousin. It was awesome! Sorry this chapter is so short, but I have a feeling the next one will be longer, if I can ever finish it, that is. I'm running out of pre-written material and I'm kind of stuck with the plot. I know what I want to do; I just don't know how to write it. But I'm sure I will figure it out eventually. And reviews make me figure it out even faster *hint hint*.**

**And in case anyone is interested, this chapter is where I finally figured out the name for the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

**P.S.- if there are any spelling and grammer mistakes, i apologize. i will fix them tomorrow, but i don't have time right now. sorry.**

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**Bella's POV:**

After I finished telling the Cullens about my human life, everyone went their separate ways. Alice and Rosalie dragged me upstairs for a makeover.

"First, go take a shower and wash all that dirt and blood off." Rosalie instructed, handing me a towel and pointing me in the direction of the bathroom.

The warm water felt good. I quickly washed the dirt and blood off my skin, and then washed my dirty hair with strawberry shampoo. I stood under the running water for a minute before turning it off and stepping out of the shower. I wrapped the towel securely around myself and went back out to Alice and Rosalie.

They sat me in a chair in front of a vanity with a big mirror. Alice did my hair and Rosalie did my makeup. We talked a lot. I asked them to tell me their stories.

Rosalie was eighteen and engaged to the richest man in town, Royce King. She thought she was getting her perfect fantasy: nice big house, rich husband and soon, a family. But she didn't really love him, and he probably just thought she was hot. She was walking home alone one night, and ran into her drunken fiancé and his drunken friends. They raped her and hurt her. Then they left her in the street to die. That's when Carlisle found her. She soon became the fourth member of the Cullen family.

Alice had no memory of her human life or her transformation. She woke up a vampire. She had a vision of the Cullen family, and saw in it their unique way of life. She decided to only hunt animals and to try to find the Cullens and ask them if she could join their coven. She was alone in her search until she had a vision that she would meet Jasper in a diner somewhere. When they finally met, they sought out the Cullens together.

We also talked about other things, like fashion. Alice and Rosalie also told me about some of their dates with Jasper and Emmett. We sounded like a bunch of giggling girls at a slumber party. When they were done with my hair and makeup, Rosalie handed me some clothes. "They're mine. I think we're about the same size. Alice and I will have to take you shopping tomorrow. You need an awesome new wardrobe!"

"Thanks so much Rosalie, but you guys don't have to do that."

"Silly Bella, you're family now. And us Cullen women are always the best dressed women in town." Rosalie said. She and Alice laughed. I joined in.

"But seriously Bella, it's no big deal. Besides, Rosalie and I love shopping." Alice said. So I took the clothes Rosalie had handed me and went into the bathroom to change. When I came out, Alice pointed to the mirror. I looked at myself. They had done a great job. Alice had French-braided my hair. My lips were pink and my eyes were smoky. The sapphire-blue blouse and knee-length brown skirt I was wearing were very flattering. "Thank you Alice, Rosalie! You guys did a great job! I look amazing!" I exclaimed, flinging one arm around each of them. I remembered to be gentle.

"You're welcome Bella. We love giving makeovers and you deserve it." Rosalie said.

"You should go show Edward! He's downstairs." Alice said suddenly, getting excited again.

"What? No-no it's alright! I'm sure he doesn't care what I look like. Let's give you a makeover now, Alice! I-I mean not that you need one or anything, but it will be fun!" I stuttered, stalling. I don't know why, but I felt kind of nervous about seeing Edward. Maybe I was afraid I would do something stupid because we were alone. Yeah, that was probably why; I'm very impulsive, and it would be just like me to blurt out "I love you Edward!" and then trip over my own feet on the way running out the door.

"Oh, come on, Bella! You'll have fun if you go, trust me." Alice said mysteriously, pushing me towards the door. _Whatever,_ I thought, _Actually, I really do want to see him again._

I went downstairs and followed the music to the room where Edward was sitting at his piano, playing some classical music. He stopped playing and looked up when I crossed the threshold. _What if he doesn't like how I look?_ I thought nervously as Edward looked me up and down.

"You look beautiful. Did you have fun with Alice and Rosalie?" he asked, smiling crookedly. God, that smile was dazzling!

"Yeah, it was fun. Will you, uh, will you play something for me? Please?" I asked tentatively, still relishing in his compliment.

"Of course. Have a seat." He replied, gesturing next to him on the piano bench. "Any requests?" he asked as I sat down next to him. "Um, do you know anything…tender and…happy-sad?" I asked. Edward thought for a moment. "I know just the song; it's Esme's favorite." He recalled, beginning to play. The song was soft and slow; the low notes seemed somber, but they had a happy edge to them. Edward's long, pale fingers ghosted expertly across the keys. "That was beautiful." I breathed when he was done. "Thank you. Any more requests?" he replied.

"Hatikva." It had slipped out before I could stop it. How was Edward supposed to know how to play the Jewish song? **(A/n: Hatikva became the Israeli national anthem, but Israel did not even become an independent country until 1948. If you do the math, you will see that it is only 1942 in the story.)** But Edward surprised me by playing the first notes after only the slightest hesitation. I automatically started singing along. I savored the taste of the delicious Hebrew words on my tongue and the sound of the piano's beautiful voice mingling with my own in my ears.

_Hatikva_- the hope. My mother used to sing me to sleep with this song when I was little. God, how I missed my mother, and my father. And Jessica. And Angela. And Chaya. Well, there may not be any hope for my family and Angela- except the hope that they are peaceful in heaven and watching over me. But there is still Chaya. She is strong; perhaps she is still alive in the camp. Maybe I can still save her. No, not maybe, definitely. I am Chaya's only hope. I will rescue her and every single person in that dreadful camp. How? I don't know, I have no idea, but I will. And then there's my hope. My hope that I will succeed in this task, and then afterwards, live happily ever after with the Cullens. **(A/n: Sorry 'bout the cliché, I just couldn't resist, lol.)**

"Thank you." I whispered as the final note faded away. Then, quick as lightning, I leaned over and kissed Edward on the cheek. He froze, and I looked away. I would be blushing redder than a tomato if I could. But then Edward lifted my chin with his finger, and turned my head so I was staring into his golden eyes. "You're welcome." He whispered back, before gently pressing his lips to mine.

It was amazing!! I had never felt anything like this before! The kiss was not passionate, but gentle and sweet. After all, we barely knew each other! But a shiver ran down my spine, and I thought my still heart would leap out of my chest.

We pulled away, but Edward cupped his hand around my cheek. "I love you." We said at the same time, still staring into each other's eyes.

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**Alice's POV:**

Bella looked gorgeous. I had French-braided her hair and Rose had done a great job with her makeup. Bella looked great in Rose's blue top, too.

"Thank you Alice, Rosalie! You guys did a great job! I look amazing!" she exclaimed, flinging an arm around each of us. "You're welcome Bella. We love giving makeovers and you deserve it." Rose said.

Suddenly, I had a vision of Edward and Bella sitting next to each other on the piano bench; Edward was playing for her. _Yes!_ I thought. "You should go show Edward! He's downstairs." I said, excited to see my vision come true. While doing Bella's hair, I had decided to help my dear brother and this darling new girl get together in any way I could. "What? No-no it's alright! I'm sure he doesn't care what I look like. Let's give you a makeover now, Alice! I-I mean not that you need one or anything, but it will be fun!" Bella stuttered. I would not take no for an answer. "Oh, come on, Bella! You'll have fun if you go, trust me." I said mysteriously, and pushed her towards the door.

I watched them through my visions. Edward played Esme's favorite song for Bella. Then, after a split-second decision, he played a new song for her that was unfamiliar to me. Bella called it "Hatikva". _The hope. Hmm._ I thought.

Suddenly, I was caught up in another vision. The beginning was very fuzzy; I could only see dead soldiers in a dreary place. But then the end became much clearer: Bella was hugging a dirty, ragged-looking girl about her age; both were crying (well, Bella wasn't, but she would have been if she could), but the tears were not sad ones. Many more ragged-looking people around them were hugging, crying, laughing, dancing, and cheering.

At first I was utterly confused, but then I understood. Bella had just made the decision to liberate the concentration camp she had escaped from. The girl she was hugging must be Chaya. Bella didn't know how she was going to do it yet, but she was very determined to succeed.

Then I had yet another vision. _Oh my God! Bella just kissed Edward on the cheek! Then he kissed her back on the lips!_ I had to stuff my fist in my mouth to keep from squealing out loud. _I knew they liked each other! I always know._

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**A Few Hours Later: Bella's POV**

Edward and I were sitting on a white couch in his room. We were talking, about anything and everything: our likes and dislikes, favorite color, flower, song. Everything.

By the time dawn broke the sky outside Edward's window, turning it a breathtaking golden-purple color, I felt as if I had known Edward my whole life.

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**Edward and Bella's first kiss, yay!! Sorry it was so short, hope you liked it anyway. Please review! It makes me happy and it makes the wheels in my brain that think up this stuff turn faster!!**

**Bye for now,**

**~Banditlover~**


	6. sorry not a chapter, an author's note

**Hey, everyone, I'm really sorry that this isn't chapter six of The Dawn of Hope, but I need your help. I have chapter six handwritten, but it seriously needs to be looked at by a second set of eyes before I post it. What I'm getting at is that I need a beta reader, at least for this chapter. If it works out well, I might get a permanent beta for this story, or I might continue on my own after this. But honestly, I have no idea how to get a beta reader, so if you're a beta, and you would like to help me with chapter six, please, please, PLEASE, PM me and tell me how to make you my beta reader and how to get you the chapter so you can fix it. I will later on replace this author's note with chapter six, once it is ready to be posted.**

**Thanks for your help,**

**~Banditlover~**


	7. Chapter 6: Shopping Trip

**A/n: I am so so so SO SORRY for not updating in forever!!! I've been really busy with my book report, yes; we have to do a book report over the summer ;-( and just everyday stuff. I've also been having really bad writers block. But I finally did it! I finally got the chapter out! I didn't end up using a beta, but my cousin did look over the chapter for me. Thank you Melanie!**

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**IMPORTANT: READ!**

**Also, there are some things you should know before you read this chapter. I was going to put them as footnotes at the bottom, but this is eight and a half pages long (my longest chapter so far, yay!), and by the time you got to the footnote, you probably would have forgotten what it was about. So, I'm putting the information in the beginning.**

**The Cullens aren't in school in this story, but they're still using the cover story of them all being adopted and Rosalie and Jasper being the Hale twins. And none of them (except Carlisle and Esme) have married yet in this town.**

**I am not being racist, but it is true that of the people who have a small bump on the bridge of their nose, or big noses, more often than not, that person is Jewish, or their parents were Jewish. But this is just like saying that people of Asiatic origin usually have almond-shaped eyes, as opposed to round ones!**

**I'm not sure whether people would really have called the Nazis, but I needed Erin to be extreme, so everyone could really hate her.**

**I'm not sure if this is really how people shopped for clothes in the 1940's, but my internet research was fruitless, so I just made it up. Please bear with me.**

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**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT. ALSO, THE PART ABOUT THE CHILDREN HIDING IN THE MIDDEN COMES FROM THE DEVIL'S ARITHMETIC.**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CURSE WORDS!**

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**Bella's POV:**

"C'mon Bella! Rose and I promised to take you shopping today!" Alice said excitedly, grabbing my arm and dragging me out the door towards her car. _Oh great,_ I thought. I had a feeling that shopping with Alice would be very interesting. I was looking forward to going, though; I hadn't been shopping in forever, and my makeover yesterday was fun. I wouldn't want to have a makeover every day, though. But I was also kind of nervous; what if someone noticed I was Jewish? Would they call the Nazis? I wasn't wearing a yellow star, but before the camp and the stars, strangers would sometimes glare at me, as if they knew I was Jewish just by looking at me. As if having a small bump on the bridge of my nose makes me Jewish. It didn't help that I didn't have blonde hair and blue eyes, either. Oh! The eyes! I almost forgot. Surely someone would notice my crimson red eyes. I pointed this last bit of my worries out to Alice. "Don't worry, I came prepared!" Alice said confidently. "Just put on these contacts." She said, handing me a box of brown colored contact lenses. I put them in; they were a little annoying, but they didn't hurt.

I climbed into the back seat of Alice's car. Rosalie was about to open the front passenger door, but thought better of it and climbed in the back with me. "Thanks" I said, glad I wouldn't have to ride in the back by myself. "No problem" she replied.

****

After a short drive through the countryside, we entered a small town and parked in front of a tailor shop. A bell jingled overhead as we opened the door and stepped inside. Just then, another worry popped onto my head as Alice called out, "Norman! We have a new customer for you!"

"Alice, what if I can't control my thirst?" I whispered frantically.

"Don't worry, I'll see it coming, but I'm not too worried, you're very in control." She reassured me.

A short, balding man with twinkling blue eyes came out from the back of the store and headed towards us.

"Hello Ms. Cullen and Ms. Hale. Nice to see you again. And who is your friend?" he asked, shaking hands with Alice and Rosalie and then turning towards me.

"Norman, this is Bella Swan. Bella, this is Norman Smith." Alice said.

"How do you do, Bella? It's a pleasure to meet you, but I'm afraid I have to go. A last minute dress disaster just called in. But don't worry, my new seamstress, Erin, knows what to do." Norman said, shaking our hands again before rushing out the door.

A chubby girl with a small, pointy nose came out from the back of the store. Her black hair was pinned up and she had a pincushion on her wrist.

"Over here, darlings." She said in a nasally voice as she made her way towards a platform surrounded by a tri-fold mirror. She didn't even look at us. Rosalie, Alice, and I went over to Erin.

We lined up in front of Erin, facing her. She looked all of us up and down briefly, but when she saw me, she stopped and slowly scrutinized my face.

"I'm sorry, but this store is strictly No-Jews allowed. You will have to wait outside while I attend to these to ladies. And if you ever step foot in this store again, I will call the Nazis." Erin said as she glared at me and pointed to the door. Her voice was ice, and she didn't sound sorry at all. I was terrified at first, but it only took a fraction of a second for my fear to turn to fury. What right did this woman have to treat me this way? I was a freaking vampire for crying out loud! I did not risk my life escaping a concentration camp to be discriminated against by a lowly seamstress. Alice and Rosalie looked murderous. "Hold on, I've got this." I told them, speaking too high and too fast for a human to hear.

I turned my face into an unreadable mask. "What makes you think I'm Jewish?" I asked coolly. Erin's eyes widened in surprise. "You're not Jewish?! Oh, I'm so sorry! Now that you mention it, you're right, you don't look Jewish." Erin exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm Jewish alright; I just wanted to know how you knew I was by just looking at me. What exactly does a Jew look like?" I asked. "Well, I-I-I mean, you just, I don't know, okay! You just looked Jewish alright?!" Erin stuttered. I must have accidentally turned on my "scary vampire face" because I don't think Erin would have been so frightened otherwise.

"How can you judge someone on looks? How can you label a group of people by what they look like? How can you say all Jews look exactly alike? All Christians don't look exactly alike. Hell, no two people look exactly alike, not even identical twins. Ever heard the saying, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'? You shouldn't assume something about someone by just looking at them. Some people are fat, some are thin. Some people are tall, some are short. Some people have pale skin, and then some people have darker skin. Some people are Jewish, but others are Christian. Everyone is different, unique. But we all have one thing in common: we are all people, and we all deserve respect and to be treated equally.

How would you like it if the Nazis came and hauled **you** and **your family** off to a concentration camp? How would you like it if the Nazis burned a tattoo of numbers into **your **arm? What if those numbers became **your** new name; **you** weren't a person anymore, **you** were a number. Maybe you have a child, I don't know, but for argument's sake, let's say you do. How would you like it if **your** little kid had to run and hide in the midden, the garbage heap, when the commandant came because children under fourteen weren't allowed in the camp? What if** you** saw a man standing right next to you get shot, just because he coughed during the roll call?

You wouldn't like seeing the things I've seen, experiencing the things I've experienced, would you? No, you wouldn't. So the next time you're about to say something or do something, remember the Golden Rule, both in Christianity and in Judaism: 'Treat thy neighbor as thyself'." I finished finally, breathing heavily as I crossed my arms over my chest and shot daggers at Erin with my eyes. Erin just stared at me with wide eyes, mouth agape. We stood like that for a long time.

"I-" Erin started, but Rosalie cut her off. "Save it, you ignorant bitch. C'mon, Bella, Alice, let's get out of here." We turned around and started walking towards the door. "See if we ever step foot in here again." Alice called back without turning her head.

We sat in the car in silence for a long time. Alice was the first to finally speak. "There's another tailor shop on the other side of town, if you wanted to go, Bella." I thought about it for a minute. "Sure, let's go." I said finally. "Are you sure, because we can just go home if you want." Alice said. I liked that she had said "home", not "the house". It made me feel like I was a part of the family, like that was my home. "Yeah, I'm sure. We can't let her ruin our shopping trip, can we? Let's go." I replied, but I just couldn't say her name. "Okay" Alice agreed, starting the car.

As I stepped out of the car, I saw a carved wooden sign hanging above the door of the tailor shop. The sign read, "Tiffany's Tailor Shop". When we walked inside, we were greeted by a smiling blonde, probably in her early thirties. "Hi, I'm Tiffany, welcome to Tiffany's Tailor Shop. How can I help you lovely young ladies?" Tiffany asked, her kind green eyes looking at us from behind thick-rimmed glasses. "Hi, I'm Alice, and this is Rosalie and Bella. We're here to buy some made-to order clothes for Bella." Alice said.

"Of course. Now, what kind of clothes are you looking to buy, Bella? Skirts, everyday dresses, something for a special occasion?" Tiffany asked as we followed her towards the measuring platform. I thought quickly. I was sure Alice already knew exactly what she was going to say, but if I didn't want her speaking for me again, I knew I'd have to come up with an answer, fast. After all, I'm perfectly capable of speaking for myself. "Well, you see Tiffany, I've just gone through a major growth spurt, and now, none of my clothes fit properly anymore. So I'd like to buy a little bit of everything; a whole new wardrobe." I said, proud of myself for my quick thinking. "Well, I think that can be arranged." Tiffany said, smiling again.

"Step up here, please, Bella, so I can measure you. And then I will show you all the designs for our made-to-order clothes." I stepped up on the platform that Tiffany had gestured at. This platform was also surrounded by a tri-fold mirror, but the platform was round instead of square. Tiffany measured me with a tape measure, writing everything down in a small, yellow notepad with my name at the top of the page. When she was done, she disappeared into the back of the store, returning a moment later with a big leather-bound book.

The four of us sat down on a couch near the platform. Tiffany opened the book and showed us the designs. I learned that "made-to-order" means that you choose which design of clothing you want, and that design is made according to your measurements, as opposed to buying clothes off the rack. Apparently, made-to-order clothing fits better, and if you try it on and it doesn't fit right, they will fix it for you for less money than if you bought clothes off the rack and had them tailored. You can also get made-to-order clothing in more color choices. With Alice and Rosalie's help, I chose several designs each of skirts, blouses, and dresses.

Alice also wanted to buy me some custom-made trousers. Apparently, "custom-made" means you tell the seamstress exactly what you want, and they make you a one-of-a-kind piece of clothing. Usually, women order custom-made dresses for their weddings, or other similar events. Why Alice wanted to buy me custom-made trousers, when women don't even wear trousers, I had no clue. Her explanation to Tiffany, who seemed as bewildered as I, was this, "Well, our family goes hiking and camping in the woods a lot, and it's very hard to hike in a skirt. We want custom-made trousers because men's trousers would look silly on us. If you could make the crotch area smaller and the legs straight and not pleated, they would look a lot better. That's how our old tailor shop made our trousers, but that store can no longer satisfy our needs." Alice had started out smiling, but she scowled when she mentioned Erin's tailor shop. "Umm, sure, I could do that." Tiffany said after a moment. "Would you like to order anything else?" "No, I think I'm good, but I'll need to buy some clothes off the rack so I have something to wear while the clothes I've just ordered are being made. I'll also need to buy some undergarments." I told Tiffany. "Okay. Come with me and I'll show you where the clothes and the dressing rooms are." She said, standing.

She led us over to an area filled with racks of clothes. There were different sections, and each section was labeled. There were undergarments, skirts, blouses, dresses, and trousers. Tiffany pointed to an area at the back of the store. "The dressing rooms are over there." She said. Then she left us to browse the racks and went to attend to another customer.

"Where should we start?" I asked Alice and Rose. "Let's start with undergarments." Rose suggested.

Once we were done over there, we made our way to the other racks. We decided to split up and each take a different section. Alice went to look at skirts, Rosalie went to the blouse section, and I stayed in the dress section.

Ten minutes later, Alice and Rosalie returned, both carrying clothes in their arms, which they promptly dumped on top of the five dresses I had picked out to try on. "Go try this stuff on Bella. We'll wait out here for you."

I went into one of the dressing rooms. I tried on a blue skirt and a yellow blouse. Then I went out to Alice and Rosalie to get their opinions. Alice gasped when she saw the outfit. "Honestly Bella, do I have to do everything myself?" she joked, "That blouse does **not** go with that skirt! But they both fit you nicely. Now come on, let me show you how to make an outfit." She said, dragging me back into the dressing room. She told me how she had used her visions to pick out the perfect skirt to go with each of the blouses Rose had picked out. Then she showed me which skirts went with which blouses and made me try all the outfits on.

I was taking off the last skirt when Alice ran out of the dressing room and returned a moment later holding a pair of men's trousers. "Here try these on. They won't be perfect, but they'll have to do for your next hunting trip until the ones we custom-ordered are ready." I tried on the trousers. I actually didn't think they looked that bad. And they were surprisingly comfortable. Then I took them off and put my clothes back on. Then we went to the front of the store and paid for all the clothes we bought today and also for the ones we had ordered.

****

I was distracted the whole drive home, and could barely concentrate on Alice and Rosalie's small talk, which was taking up only one percent of my concentration. I was pleased with our purchases and excited to see what the clothes we had ordered would look like once they were made. (As I've said before, Alice and Rosalie have impeccable taste and fashion sense, and they helped me find the perfect outfits.) But I couldn't help worrying about how much money they had just spent on me; a brand-new wardrobe for a girl they hardly know. I know Alice said money is no problem for their family; but after being in the camp, I look at anything good, new, pretty, or even remotely unnecessary in a whole new, more appreciative way. A way that I'm sure Alice and Rosalie could never understand. I'm so grateful to the Cullens for taking me under their wing, providing for me, and basically making me a part of the family. I just wish I had some way of repaying them for their generosity, though with an eternity to live, I'm sure I'll think of something eventually.

But even that's not what's really distracting me, it's only taking up about thirty percent of my concentration. What's taking up sixty-nine percent of my concentration is Erin. Shopping at Tiffany's Tailor Shop with Alice and Rosalie took my mind off it for a while, but now, it's all coming back.

The memory of our encounter is still fresh in my mind, replaying again and again. I was so full of anger, and spurred on by fear. I had been so sad when I saw the look of hatred on her face; disgust, as if I were an inferior being, an ugly bug that needed to be squashed. That look filled me with my own feeling of hatred toward the real inferior being. I could have snapped Erin's neck in a millisecond, I doubt Alice or Rosalie would have stopped me. But I didn't, I just couldn't stoop to the Nazis level, the level of murder.

Thinking about the Nazis reminded me of the promise I had made yesterday. I know I won't be able to liberate the camp on my own, but I'm not sure if the Cullens will help. Well, I guess there's no harm in asking. But will the eight of us be enough?

****

**Edward's POV:**

I heard the car while it was still a few minutes away. I decided to wait outside for the girls, and Emmett and Jasper, also hearing the car, came, too.

As Alice pulled the car into the driveway and the three girls got out, I could immediately tell that something was wrong. Bella looked dark and depressed. She had taken out her contacts, and her thoughtful eyes were black as pitch. Rosalie's face was a mask, her mouth a straight line, and even Alice didn't seem as bouncy and cheerful as usual. Through Jasper's mind, I saw their emotions: Bella felt anger, hatred, sadness, and a slight, subconscious worry. Alice and Rosalie were pleased, (probably with the clothes they had bought), but it was a grim satisfaction. There was also a large amount of underlying anger and even hatred.

Seeing their faces, Emmett asked, "Whoa, what happened? Did Bella accidentally kill someone?" "No, but she should have." Rosalie snapped back at him. She then proceeded to replay the vicious encounter between Bella and a seamstress named Erin at their ex-favorite tailor shop in her mind. I gasped, and without thinking, grabbed Bella up in a big hug. "I'm not one to call people names, but I have to agree with Rosalie in saying that that girl is an ignorant bitch." I told her.

"Okay, what did we miss?" Jasper asked. Bella, Rosalie, and I were too worked up to reply, so Alice quietly told him and Emmett about the showdown. "That bitch is about to eat my specialty: a vampire knuckle sandwich." Emmett declared, cracking his knuckles loudly. "Yeah, she'll feel so panicked and terrified, she'll wet her pants." Jasper scowled. "I'm coming, too." I growled. "I'll make sure she never bothers anyone ever again." I started to pull away from Bella, but she grabbed my arm and held me back.

"No," she said, "Leave her be. She's not worth it. I could have beaten her up, or even killed her very easily if I had wanted to. But I didn't. I chose to be the better person and walk away. I hope you will choose to do the same." She looked at each of us in turn as she finished.

I looked uneasily at my brothers. _Who cares whether we're the better people or not? I say we kick some ass._ Bella obviously hadn't changed Emmett's mind. But Jasper was wavering. _If she bleeds, I'll go out of control. And if I taste human blood again, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop. But she deserves it for hurting Bella. But her blood…_I was torn. "Oh, and I don't think Carlisle will be very happy with you if you hurt Erin." Bella added, almost as an afterthought.

I caught her eye, and as I stared into their black depths, I saw they were already returning to their original crimson red. Through Jasper's gift and Bella's eyes, I could see that she was hurt, but she hid it well. She accepted Erin's opinion, and had already forgiven her for it. She really didn't want us to hurt the insensitive human. Bella truly was the better person and also the strongest I had ever met, maybe even stronger and more compassionate than Carlisle himself.

I made up my mind. I had to do this for her. I had to be strong and leave Erin alone. I had to be the better person as well. From now on, I had to try to be like Bella: strong, compassionate, forgiving, and innocent (or as innocent as a soulless monster like me can be). Instead of taking revenge, I had to stay with Bella and comfort her, listen to her problems (only if she wants me to, of course).

"Bella's right, guys. We should leave Erin alone. We have to be the better people." I said. "But-" Emmett started to protest. I turned and glared at him. He shut his mouth. _Fine._ He grumbled silently. "Come on everyone, let's all go inside." I said, wrapping my arm around Bella's waist and hugging her close to me as I led her inside.

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**I was going to end the chapter here, but to make up for not updating in so long, I'll continue. :)**

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**(**still**) Edward's POV:**

I heard a car pull up into the driveway. The engine cut off, and a moment later, the front door opened and Carlisle walked in. It was several hours after the girls had come home from their shopping trip, and Carlisle was home from work.

Suddenly, Bella got up from her current position in my lap and walked over to Carlisle, who had just entered the living room. I cocked my head to the side, curious. What's Bella doing? Man, I wish I could read her mind! "Now that you're home, Carlisle," she said, "I'd like to call a family meeting. There's something I have to say." What does she have to say? Arggh, I need to know what she's thinking!

"Of course, Bella. Everyone, could you please-" Carlisle started, but then Emmett arrived and interrupted him. "Yo, calling all Cullens! Family meeting time!" Emmett yelled. Instantly, everyone else appeared and took their seats, but Bella remained standing.

"First of all, before I say what I want to say, I have to fill Carlisle and Esme in on what happened today when Alice, Rosalie, and I went shopping." I clenched my fists and venom flooded my mouth as I tried to block out what Bella was saying. I didn't think I could listen to what happened for a third time without losing it. I still just couldn't believe that anyone could be so mean to a person like Bella!

Carlisle and Esme just sat there, stunned, while Bella told them what had happened. After she was done, it was a long moment before anyone spoke. Finally, Carlisle broke the silence. "And you didn't kill her?" "No. When we got home, and the boys found out what happened, they wanted to go after her, but I told them it wasn't worth it. If what I said to her didn't change her mind, nothing anyone says will. And violence will not change her opinion, she will only stop out of fear, and I don't want to scare people into doing what's right." Bella looked pointedly at Emmett, Jasper, and me as she said this. Bella was amazing; she actually made me feel guilty about wanting to hurt that scumbag.

"Well, I am very sorry about what happened today, but if you won't use violence against Erin, then I am afraid there is nothing we can do about any of this." Carlisle said sincerely, and Esme nodded.

"And that, Carlisle, is where you're wrong." Bella said. "While you are right about the fact that we can do nothing about Erin without scaring her into doing what's right, we **can** do something to correct other wrongs. I know you are a peaceful, vegetarian coven and do not like harming humans, but I ask this of you because it will save thousands of lives, even though it **does** involve violence."

By this time, I was on the edge of my seat. What is Bella getting at? I tried to look into the future, but Alice was blocking her thoughts.

"What are you proposing, Bella?" Esme voiced my thoughts. "I am proposing that we liberate the concentration camp I escaped from. No, I am **telling** you that I am going to liberate the camp, and I am **asking** for your help because I know I cannot do it alone." I could see it in Bella's eyes; she was deadly serious. If we refused to help her, which we wouldn't, she would go ahead and try on her own.

"Of course we'll help you." I said instantly. Everyone looked at me._ Who made you the family spokesperson?_ Rosalie asked silently. "I mean, of course **I** will help you, but maybe we should vote on it." Everyone nodded at that.

"Okay, well, let's start with Edward. Edward, will you help me liberate the camp?" Bella asked, turning to face me. I stared into her red orbs. "Yes" I said, and silently added, _I would do anything for you_.

Bella nodded and turned to Alice. "Will you?" she asked. "Of course. I was wondering when you would get up the courage to ask us." Alice told her. Bella nodded again and turned to Jasper, who was sitting next to Alice. "It will be hard to control myself if there is bloodshed, but in my human days, I was a soldier who fought for what he believed in and for what he thought was right, so now I will again fight for what is right. I will help you." Jasper said. Alice smiled. _I know this will be hard for him, but I am glad he is going to help. And if he can do this without losing control, maybe it will give him more self-confidence,_ she thought. I hoped so as Bella once again nodded and turned to Emmett. "Hell yes. Let's kick some Nazi ass!" he shouted, pumping his fist in the air. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Esme frown at Emmett's choice of words.

I refocused when I saw Bella turn to Rosalie. "Will you help me?" she asked. "Yes. Those Nazis deserve to die. They killed your friends and family and thousands of other people." Rosalie told her. I was surprised by her answer. She had been mad when I had spoken for everyone and had then blocked her thoughts so I couldn't see what her answer was, until she told Bella. I had assumed that she did this because she was going to say no, but I guess I was wrong.

Carlisle was up next. "I don't relish in the thought of killing other creatures, even cruel, sadistic ones like the Nazis, but I can see it is necessary, so yes, I will help you."

"I also do not enjoy killing innocent humans, but the Nazis are not innocent, and doing so will save thousands of lives, so I too, will help you, Bella." Esme said. "Well, that settles it, then. You'll all help me liberate the concentration camp." Bella said matter-of-factly.

"Um, Bella, as I've said before, I was a soldier, and was responsible for strategizing my unit's movements, and-" Jasper started to say, but Emmett interrupted. "What?" Jasper sighed. "I was a soldier and I'm good with planning attacks. I don't think the eight of us will be enough to overpower the Nazis. We may be vampires, but we would still be greatly outnumbered."

"Well, what do you propose we do about that? Do you know any other vampires that would help us?" Bella asked. Carlisle spoke up. "Actually, I do know another vegetarian vampire. Her name is Arianna. She is a nomad. I'm sure she would help us, if we could find her."

"Then Bella and I will go and search for Arianna tomorrow." I said, standing. "Edward, can't you wait until after the holidays?" Esme begged. "If I remember correctly, Arianna always spends the holidays with her brother's descendants, who are human, in England. She usually stays from Christmas until a week after New Year's. Edward and Bella can leave after New Year's. That will give them plenty of time to get to England before Arianna leaves." Carlisle said. "That works." I said. Everyone nodded, and the meeting ended. Bella and I would leave for England after New Year's. I wondered what adventures this year's winter holidays would bring as I got up and followed Bella into my room to talk.

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**A/n: well, what did you think??? Please, please, please review!!! If you don't, the Nazis will come for you!!!!!**

**~Banditlover~**


	8. Chapter 7: Movie

**I know it's been like four months but please don't kill me!!!!!! If you do, you'll never hear how it ends!!! Eighth grade has been a lot more work than seventh, and geometry and my stupid history class have me swamped. Plus, i have been sick 6 times since the start of the school year! yes, 6! Patience is a virtue, and i thank everyone that has stuck with the story even after you all probably thought i died. i just got a laptop like three days ago, so hopefully it will be easier for me to write now and i will try to update before the new year. ps, for those of you who are still mad (which you have every right to be) this chapter is ten pages long on microsoft word, excluding the author's note.**

**shout out to Kaila and Jessica. This chapter's for you!**

**disclaimer: i don't own twilight.**

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**Bella's POV:**

I was sitting in Alice's room, listening to the radio. I had been spending a lot of time listening to the radio the last month, trying to catch up on everything that had happened while I was in the camp. "Soviet forces have halted the German advance at Stalingrad at the Volga River and in the Caucasus. The German troops are now on the defensive and have begun to retreat westward. Soviet forces have launched a counteroffensive at the Germans arrayed at Stalingrad. Sources say they quickly encircled an entire German army, more than 220,000 soldiers…"

Suddenly, I heard a quiet knock on the door. "Come in" I answered, not taking my eyes off the small brown radio. The door opened, and Alice's strawberry-and-cream scent blew in the door. "Bella," she said, "do you want to go pick up your clothes from Tiffany's Tailor Shop? She just called and said they were ready." I must have been so absorbed in the news that I didn't hear the phone ring. I nodded and switched off the radio before standing and following Alice out the door. Rosalie was waiting expectantly by the front door.

"Hey, can we take a walk around town first, before we pick up the clothes?" I asked as Alice started up the car. The car idled for a minute as Alice checked the future, no doubt making sure that the cloud cover wouldn't suddenly burst open and let the sun bedazzle our skin in front of the whole town. Alice relaxed from her trance-like state and pulled the car out of the Cullens' huge circular driveway.

"The future looks fine, so yes." Alice replied. During the short drive into town, (though it was only short because Alice drives like a Cullen. The Cullens' driving can pretty much be summed up in one word: fast.), I stared out the tinted windows of the car and reflected on the past month.

I had gotten to know the Cullens much better in the last thirty days; I knew all of their different personalities, their habits, their hobbies, and their pet peeves.

Carlisle was compassionate and extremely devoted to his job as the town doctor, though how he could stand to be around all those humans all day and even treat their cuts or other injuries without any bloodlust or thought to give in to temptation was beyond me. Just thinking about the scent of those hikers on that first hunting trip made my throat rip into hot flames.

Esme was kind and loving; the mother to us all in all the ways that count. I hadn't needed to, yet, but I was sure that if I ever had a problem only a mother could solve, I could go to Esme, and she would have the answer. As for her hobbies, Esme is very artistic; she loves painting, sculpting (with her bare hands), and decorating. She had refurbished one of the spare rooms and turned it into my bedroom (even though I don't sleep) soon after I joined the family.

Pausing my character study of my family for a moment, yes, the Cullens had managed to convince me that I really was a part of the family. I had been doubtful at first; confused as to why these strangers were showing me such kindness, disbelieving them when they said I was now one of them, and wondering when they would kick me out. The main turning point was when they agreed to help me liberate the camp, though their other kind words and actions convinced me further.

But back to my musings; I'm up to Emmett. Emmett the clown. The prankster. The tough guy and the giant teddy bear all rolled into one. Emmet is fun-loving and takes whatever life throws at him, even vampirism, in stride. One of Emmett's favorite pastimes is betting; he and Jasper love to bet on anything and everything, from what would happen next in the war, to how many new pairs of shoes Alice would buy in one week.

I remember one time when Emmett combined betting with his other favorite pastime: wrestling.

****

About two weeks ago, I had gone hunting with Edward, Emmett, and Jasper. We had gone up in the mountains to hunt some lions. When we were done, we sat, talking and laughing, in one of the newly deserted dens.

Edward had cracked a joke at Emmett, and Emmett lunged. Jasper and I laughed as they rolled around on the floor fighting, but soon it started to get too out of hand. I looked at Jasper and he nodded. We quickly pulled the two guys apart, Jasper grabbing Emmett and I grabbing Edward. Edward relaxed in my grip as Jasper used his gift to calm them down.

Then Emmett joked, "Hey Edward, you're pinned down by a girl? Pathetic!" Edward growled and strained against me, but I held firm as Jasper sent out another wave of calm. Edward composed himself and replied coolly, "Bella is stronger than you."

"Ha, wanna bet?" Emmett fired back.

"Yeah, I do, actually." I said, curious as to whether or not it was true.

I had soon learned that Emmett was the strongest of all the Cullens, but he had never tried out his strength on me. Plus, even if I wasn't as strong as Emmett, I was still extremely strong, and I was a little annoyed at Emmett for implying that I and Edward especially, were weak.

Emmett grinned at the challenge. "Arm wrestling. Right here, right now." He declared. I nodded, and Jasper and I cautiously let go of him and Edward. We followed Emmett as he looked around and then strode confidently over to a small boulder at the back of the den. I immediately understood his intent. The boulder was a little lopsided, but it would do for an impromptu arm wrestling surface.

Emmett and I rested our elbows atop the rock and grasped each other's hands.

"Ready, get set-" Jasper started but Edward interrupted. "What about the bet?" I thought for a moment, and then a light bulb went off in my head.

"Loser gets a makeover from Alice."

Edward and Jasper snorted, but Emmett nodded once, totally serious. Jasper put his hand over ours to prevent any cheating, and counted down. "Three, two, one, go!" he shouted releasing our hands.

Emmett was pushing really hard, I estimated over 2,000 Newtons, but my hand didn't budge, and I wasn't even trying. I had been very careful and reserved since my change, especially in the house, so I wouldn't break anything; it felt good to cut loose and let the power surge through me.

I flexed my muscles and Emmett lost an inch. Emmett grunted in frustration and pushed harder, but he was no match for me and my newborn strength.

I was starting to get bored, so I pretended to yawn loudly, earning a growl from Emmett. I smirked and in one quick move, plowed his arm into the rock, splitting it in two.

Edward and Jasper were rolling on the ground laughing their heads off. I joined them when Emmett let out a howl of rage and stormed from the cave.

I'll say this for Emmett when Alice was through with him: he's never going to live it down.

****

I chuckled quietly to myself at this memory and Rosalie and Alice looked at me questioningly. I shook my head and explained, "Just thinking about when Emmett lost that bet to me." Rosalie smiled and Alice grinned evilly.

Rosalie was the most drop-dead gorgeous girl I had ever met, human or immortal, and sometimes she let it get to her head, acting rude and shallow. But she has a good heart, and the tenacity to stand up for what she believes in, and the guts not to take crap from anybody. Plus, she is the only one who can keep Emmett under control, usually via a smack upside the head.

I pulled my gaze away from Rosalie then, and turned my attention to Alice. Alice is the crazy shopping pixie. She and Rosalie go shopping at least once a week, and they usually drag me along too, until one time I had gotten so annoyed that I lost my control and almost attacked a human. After that, Alice let me decide whether I wanted to come or not.

But still, Alice is my best friend; she's sweet, funny, caring, listens to my thoughts, and tells it to me straight. Basically, she's everything you could ask for in a best friend, and she's the kind that only comes around once in a lifetime.

As for her mate, Jasper? Well, I guess opposites really do attract. While Alice is small, hyper, innocent and perpetually cheerful, Jasper is the strong, silent type; somewhat withdrawn; and intimidating, with a dark past. Up until relatively recently, Jasper was a man of war, first a Confederate soldier in the American Civil War, and then a part of the vampire armies battling for territory in the southern part of North America.

Sometimes, Jasper still struggles with bloodlust, and I worry whether he will be able to control himself around all the bloodshed that will come when we liberate the camp. Alice has faith in him, though, so I trust her judgment.

Last but certainly not least in my character study is Edward. Edward was Carlisle's first companion in this life, and it's clear to see Edward looks up to him and tries to follow in his footsteps, though Edward did tell me about his "rebellion". A few years after Carlisle turned him, Edward decided he didn't want to be a vegetarian anymore, so he left Carlisle and Esme and went off on his own. His solace was the fact that he never killed the innocent, only the guilty – muggers, murderers, robbers – all with the help of his gift.

Eventually, though, he came back; but he has still never forgiven himself for becoming the monster he tried so hard to destroy. I don't care, though; everyone has lapses in control, in judgment. Who could blame him, really, for wanting to conform to his true nature? And he repents for it, every day; not like those heartless murderers, the Nazis. They don't give a damn about how many people they kill. In fact, in their book, the more the better.

Edward believes vampires lose their souls along with their humanity; that if they ever die, they will be damned to hell, but I disagree. I don't see the Cullens as monsters in denial, but as angels on earth, so determined to prove their very nature wrong, to prove that they can be good, that if any of them were to ever die (G-d forbid), that surely they would go to Heaven, where angels belong.

Edward is my personal angel – intelligent, kindhearted, amusing, witty, caring, self-sacrificing (if not bordering on masochistic), insightful, loving, wise, strong-willed, compassionate, and very protective.

Suddenly, the car came to a stop. I had been so absorbed in my own thoughts, that I hadn't even noticed we had driven into town. The three of us stepped out of the car. I looked around and gazed up at the clear blue sky. A chilly wind whipped my hair around my face, but it did not bother me, of course. People walking by were hunched over against the wind and huddled into their coats. Even though the cold didn't affect us, I saw Rosalie and Alice shiver. "Why are you shivering? You aren't cold, are you?" I asked, confused. "Of course not," Alice replied, and I was surprised to see that her breath did not form a visible cloud like the humans'. "But people would wonder if three women wearing only linen dresses and light sweaters didn't shiver in mid-November." That made perfect sense, so I practiced my own shivers as we set off around town.

As we walked, I took in the sights and the sounds, but I wasn't strong enough yet to breathe regularly with so many humans so close by. I only breathed when the wind blew the humans' scent away from me momentarily, but when I did, I was able to take in the fresh scent of autumn: the cold, clear wind; the crisp, woodsy leaves; and the warm, sweet scent of someone baking an apple pie (which actually smelled completely unappetizing).

Rosalie, Alice, and I had been walking for about twenty minutes when I heard sobbing coming from several meters ahead of us and to the right. "Do you hear that?" I asked Alice and Rosalie. They nodded warily and we walked quickly towards the source of the noise.

We soon came to the entrance of a park. The crying was louder now, and appeared to come from within the park. It was I who pinpointed the crier's location inside the park.

Two girls, both about eleven or twelve years old, were standing at the base of a tall birch tree. The shorter of the two girls was sobbing onto the taller girl, who was holding her and patting the top of her honey brown, shoulder-length hair soothingly. The taller girl had curly, dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes.

I was perplexed until Alice whispered, "Look in the tree." I looked up. My strong, new eyes were able to discern a small cat with frightened yellow eyes hidden among the dried leaves. The cat's calico fur blended in with the reds, golds, and browns of the leaves.

I looked back at Alice, whose eyes were glazed over in mid-vision. Alice snapped back to reality and began striding purposefully towards the girls. Rose and I followed suit.

"Hey sweetie," Alice said kindly to the crying girl. She didn't even have to bend over to be eye level with her. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

The girl lifted her head and sniffled. "A dog s-started barking r-really loud a-and scared my c-cat, s-so she ran up this t-tree, and now she won't c-come d-down!" she stuttered.

"Would you like me to get your cat down for you?" Alice asked the girl. The girl's sky colored eyes brightened visibly and she nodded vigorously. Alice appraised the tree for a moment before jumping up and grasping the closest branch.

Rosalie and I stayed with the girls as Alice climbed. I tried to speak, but I went rigid as I inhaled a breath of the humans' delicious aroma. I took a step back and pretended to watch Alice's progress. Rosalie glanced at me, concerned, but I shook my head quickly. I was still in control.

"What are your names?" Rosalie asked politely for me.

"I'm Lynn and this is Kaila," replied the blonde girl, gesturing at the brunette.

"And how old are you two?" Rosalie continued.

"Twelve" Lynn answered. "I'm twelve and a half," Kaila contradicted. Lynn rolled her eyes and I suppressed a giggle.

A wind blew Lynn and Kaila's scent away from me for the moment, so I filled up on clean air so I could speak. "I used to have a cat when I was little, just like yours. She always used to get into all kinds of mischief, like climbing trees and provoking the neighbor's dog. But she was a good cat, and a good mouser, too; I cried when the Nazis killed – I mean, when she passed away." Rosalie was watching me with interest; I had never told the Cullens that I had had a pet.

Just then I heard Kaila's cat hiss, and I knew Alice had reached her. Alice could have brought the cat down in less than ten seconds, but of course keeping up with the human charade, she had to climb slowly.

Five minutes later, Alice handed the frightened cat down to an extremely grateful Kaila, before jumping gracefully down from the tree. Kaila pressed the cat to her face, nuzzling her warm fur. "Don't you ever do that again, Callie!" she scolded playfully before tucking the cat safely into her coat.

"Oh, thank you so, so, SO much for rescuing Callie for me!" Kaila said, throwing her arms around Alice, who by the way didn't have a hair out of place. "You're welcome, but please try to keep a better eye on your pet from now on." Alice replied, gently reprimanding Kaila. Kaila nodded.

Then Lynn hit Kaila on the back of the head. "Yeah, you heard her. 'Keep a better eye on your pet'!" she said in mock anger. Kaila tried to slap her back, but Lynn stopped her hand. "Hey, remember you got your cat in your coat!" she yelled.

"Goodbye" Alice called. We walked away from them chuckling. Lynn and Kaila stopped fighting just long enough for Kaila to call back, "Bye, and thanks again!"

"That poor cat! You must have scared it half to death, Alice!" I lamented, remembering the frightened look on the tiny animal's face as Alice handed her to Kaila. Unlike most humans, who were simultaneously wary and yet strangely drawn to us, animals knew we were dangerous and were downright terrified.

"Don't worry, Callie will be fine. And now she will love Kaila even more for saving her from the 'horrible monster'." Alice stated matter-of-factly. "And did the Nazis really kill your cat?" she asked somberly.

"Yes; When they came to take us away to the camp."

_Flashback:_

_Someone was pounding on the door, and when we didn't open it fast enough, they tore it straight off the hinges. Two Nazis stomped into the house; their crisp military uniforms, shiny Jackboots, and swastika insignias exuded an ominous air. They ordered us to pack one suitcase each of clothes and belongings and then to go and wait in the synagogue for the rest of the village. They said we were being relocated; they were going to take us in trucks to a new village that was being built._

"_What if we want to stay here?" I asked them defiantly._

_One of them strutted up to me and grabbed me brusquely and slapped me in the face. He leaned in close to my face, his cold grey eyes boring into mine, and spat, "You do not have a choice. Now get packing, you filthy Jew."_

_Our cat Malka, had been sitting on one of the chairs, watching the scene unfold before her. Jessica and I had always joked that Malka was more of a guard dog than a lap cat; she would protect the two of us fiercely. I guess when she saw the Nazi slap me and my lower lip tremble, on the verge of tears, her protective instincts just kicked in._

_She leaped at the Nazi, scratching and yowling, and clawed at him. He let go of me and I jumped back. The Nazi was screaming and trying to shake her off. When he finally managed it, the other Nazi immediately shot her._

_They stomped out in silence, and as soon as they were gone, I ran to Malka. She had been shot in the back, close to her hind legs. Blood seeped from the wound and soaked the floor. "Malka, my sweet Malka," I whispered as I kissed her head. "You are so brave." She feebly licked my hand, and in that moment, she looked exactly as she did when I first found her, a tiny kitten curled up in the hayloft of our barn. Then she closed her eyes for the last time and I wept openly._

_After I'd packed my suitcase, still crying, I brought an old blanket over and wrapped Malka tenderly in it. I carried her into the room I shared with Jessica and placed Malka on the foot of my bed, where she liked to sleep with me every night. I could not bear to leave her lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Somehow, as I walked out the door of our house, I knew that I would never return._

_End flashback_

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice asked, concerned, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine; just remembering Malka." I was surprised when my voice cracked. I loved Malka, she was a great pet, but I was never really a die-hard animal lover like Jessica. And besides, I now hunted animals on a regular basis without a second thought. I guess it was because Malka was a part of my past, a part of my human life.

It was odd; I could remember every moment of my vampire existence with perfect clarity, but my memories of my human life were murky and fuzzy, although the terrible memories, which usually included the Nazis, were almost as vivid as the vampire ones. I had asked Carlisle about it one time. He said that vampires have perfect memories of their new lives, but their human ones seem to slip through the cracks of time, unless you concentrate on reliving them often enough. When I told him about how the bad memories were practically burned into my brain, he said that this, unfortunately, was also common among vampires, and even humans. Negative memories and traumatic experiences affect the brain in such a way that there is almost always permanent damage, though how severe depends on the person and the circumstances of the experience.

Apparently, if I was still human, I would be suffering from insomnia, constant crying, and paranoia. Also, certain things could possibly trigger me to go into uncontrollable rages.

Carlisle told me he once smuggled a Jew who had escaped a concentration camp into the hospital. He tried to treat him for his broken leg, but the young man would go crazy every time Carlisle moved towards him. Finally, Carlisle had Edward come in and see the man, so they could figure out why he was acting like that. According to Edward, the man was terribly frightened of Carlisle because of his white lab coat. Apparently, in the concentration camp, the young man and his twin brother had been subjected to horrible "scientific" experiments by men in white lab coats. His brother died after several excruciating surgeries, and that's when the man escaped. Carlisle wore regular clothes around the man while he treated his leg, and then had him transferred to a mental facility, because he could do no more to help the poor wretch.

I shuddered as I thought of the poor man. If I was human right now, I would probably be insane.

By now, we were at the door to Tiffany's Tailor Shop. Alice opened the door, and we stepped inside, the bell jingling overhead. I glanced around and saw Tiffany by the back of the store. She looked towards the sound of the bell, and waved us over.

"Hello Bella, Alice, Rosalie. I take it you are here to pick up the clothes you ordered?" she greeted us warmly. I nodded. "I'll go get them. Just hold on one moment."

Tiffany disappeared through a doorway and I could hear her shuffling around, picking something up. She returned a minute later, her arms full of garment bags. Alice and I relieved her of the bags, and I thanked her.

Just then, the door opened again, and another customer walked in. "Do you need anything else?" Tiffany asked us. We shook our heads.

"No, we're fine. Thank you again Tiffany. We'll go now." I said.

"Okay, you're welcome. Goodbye. Have a nice day." She replied, walking over to the customer.

"You too." We called as we headed for the door.

The walk to the car and the drive home were uneventful. However, once we reached home, Alice immediately dragged me and my new clothes upstairs so I could try everything on.

"Well, we have to make sure everything fits!" Alice explained as she handed me a wine-red dress to put on. I knew there was no point in arguing, so I removed my irritating contact lenses and slipped on the dress. As per Alice's instructions, I then twirled around in a circle.

"Beautiful, just beautiful!" Alice chirped. "Go show Rosalie."

I sighed and obediently went downstairs. I found Rosalie sitting on the couch with Emmett and Jasper in the living room.

"Nice" Rosalie said approvingly.

"Yeah, it really brings out your eyes." Jasper teased. I frowned, realizing that the dress probably did emphasize the ghastly red color of my eyes.

"Yeah, you just need a little more cleavage and some sexy heels, and you'll be a real succubus!" Emmett joked. Jasper laughed and Rosalie smacked him playfully. I just glared before turning on my heel and gliding back up the stairs.

The rest of the afternoon continued in that manner: trying on clothes for Alice, and, if they were really something, parading around downstairs for Rosalie and whoever else happened to be around to see. After Emmett joked that I looked like a man in the slacks I'd ordered, even though Alice said I looked even better in them than her and Rosalie, I growled and punched him in the gut, dancing away lightly before he could retaliate.

****

Several days later, Edward and I became engaged in a friendly wrestling match over a mountain lion we had attacked at the same time. We were rolling around on the ground, trying to pin the other one down. I was stronger, but with my lack of experience in wrestling, Edward soon gained the upper hand and pinned my arms above my head. I could have easily broken his grip, but I was thirsty, and it was easier to just give up and find other prey. Edward laughed as he let me go and helped me to my feet; always the gentleman, even when it was unnecessary.

Sparks flew as held me close to him for a moment after helping me up. I had thought that after a while, my crush for him would go away; after all, I had just assumed it was some silly crush, caused by Edward's godly perfection and the fact that he saved my life. I didn't think it would last after I became used to him and the others, for they were all perfect. Yet, I still felt this unexplainable pull towards him whenever he was near, and even when he wasn't.

I was staring up at Edward's face with a slightly glazed look in my eyes when I heard the lion's mate padding around nearby. I shook my head and took off in the direction of my prey.

I was crouched on the ground, enjoying my feast, when Edward approached, his eyes now a light ocher after gorging on the other mountain lion. He stood patiently, waiting for me to finish. When I had drained the lion, I quickly dragged its body out into the open, where wolves and other such scavengers could easily find the carrion, before returning to Edward.

"Why do you leave the body out in the open? What if a hiker saw it?" Edward asked me, curious about my strange habit.

"I believe in the circle of life, and giving back to the environment just as much as I take. I needed to kill that lion, to sustain myself, but that doesn't mean I have to be wasteful and harm the environment. The way you bury the carcasses doesn't really do anything to help. If left out in the open, the carcasses are much more easily reached by scavengers, which will feed off the meat that we leave behind, which helps keep their populations up even though we are always killing them. And what is left will be broken down by decomposers, which will return nutrients to the soil, helping plants grow, which feed the herbivores that we also consume. It's all about balance." I finished my little shpeil.

Edward was looking at me curiously, and I began to feel self-conscious. "What?" I asked.

"You never cease to amaze me, Bella." He stared at me for a few more moments. "I've been meaning to ask you, would you care to accompany me to a movie in town tomorrow?" Edward asked, some unrecognizable emotion in his voice glinting behind the formality.

Even with my vampire intelligence, it took a moment for me to register what he was saying. Edward was asking me out on a date! Edward looked at me expectantly. He was waiting for a reply!

"I, uh, I would love to." I stammered, the first time I had done so in weeks. Edward grinned.

****

I let Alice dress me for my date with Edward. She chose a belted dress, with a brown, high-waisted skirt and a leopard-print bodice. A brown woolen coat (to keep up with the human charade) and a pair of matching brown heels finished off the look. Alice styled my hair in a chignon and added just a touch of makeup.

"There. Perfect." she said, stepping back after she finished applying my makeup. I looked in the mirror. I was beautiful, of course. I looked very classy and sophisticated; no one would ever suspect I had just escaped a concentration camp little more than a month ago.

"Careful not to smudge your makeup!" Alice warned as I put on my dreadful contacts; I couldn't wait until my eyes turned gold and I wouldn't have to wear these stupid things anymore.

Edward was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. He was wearing a simple gray tweed suit, but looked all the more handsome for his clothes' simplicity. He took my hand and kissed it. "You look lovely, as always." He said as we headed out the door.

"Thank you." I replied. It still felt weird when I didn't blush tomato red anymore. "What movie are we going to see?" I asked as we got into the car and Edward started the engine. I hadn't been to the movies since before the war, and I was eager to go.

"That is a surprise." Edward answered, smirking when he saw me pout.

I knew this was a good time to talk to Edward about anything I didn't want the rest of the family eavesdropping in on, but I couldn't think of anything to say, so we just sat in companionable silence. After a while, Edward began to hum a melody softly to himself.

"What are you humming? It's very pretty." I asked.

"Oh, just playing around with a melody for a new song I'm writing." He replied. I listened to the melody for a while. Almost unconsciously, I began humming a harmony.

The piece began to get more and more complex; our voices, his tenor and my alto, rose and fell together perfectly, creating a beautiful tune.

We pulled into the movie theater a few minutes later. Edward cut the engine, stepped out of the car, and walked around to my side to hold the car door open for me. Edward held out his arm, and I took it as he escorted me into the theater.

We stepped up to the ticket booth. "We have a reservation for Casablanca; under Cullen." Edward said. The ticket master looked down at a sheet of paper for a moment.

"Right this way, sir, madam." He replied smoothly, leading us into one of the two small theaters.

Edward and I chose two seats in the middle section. Sitting down on the red velvet seats, I said to him quietly, "I didn't know you could make reservations at a movie theater."

"I reserved this theater for a private showing of Casablanca. I thought sitting in such close proximity with so many humans might be uncomfortable for you." Edward explained. I was dumbstruck; Edward reserved the _whole_ theater so we could watch a movie in private!

"Wow. Thank you, that's very considerate." I said, still amazed. I leaned back into the seat as the lights dimmed and the movie began.

The movie was very interesting, but a lot of my attention was also focused on Edward sitting next to me. Halfway through the movie, Edward slowly put his arm around my shoulders. I was shocked at his forwardness, but of course I didn't object. I leaned into his cool embrace, and electricity flowed between us.

At first, I wasn't sure how Edward felt about me. I'd had a couple hints that he liked me, but I wasn't sure. Edward kissed me that first day, but I had kissed him first, and that was because I wanted to thank my hero for saving my life. It was all very spur-of-the-moment, and could have meant nothing to him, for all I know. And the whole sitting-on-his-lap thing, well, that was only once, after the whole Erin ordeal. I was really frazzled and upset; I felt calm and safe with Edward when he pulled me onto his lap. And it looked like sitting that way is a very casual thing in the Cullen house. Plus, the way Edward was holding me; it was protective – but it seemed like the way he would be protective of Alice, not the way Jasper would be protective of Alice. And then Edward avoided touching me for several days after that; his mood swings were giving me whiplash!

But now, I'm starting to feel pretty sure that Edward likes me, and not just as a sister. I had a hard time concentrating on the rest of the movie.

Back in the car, Edward was driving with one hand, the other resting on the armrest between us. I tentatively put my hand on top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. Edward gasped and turned to stare into my eyes, his own topaz orbs smoldering. We didn't need words to convey our feelings.

When we arrived back at the house, Edward pulled me over to his piano. We sat down next to each other on the bench, and Edward began playing the melody he hummed in the car. After Edward got the notes down perfect on the piano, he stopped and let me have my chance to transfer the harmony onto the piano as well. It took me longer because Edward had only just taught me to play the piano a few weeks ago. Once we both had our parts down pat, we played them simultaneously.

As the last notes faded away, I heard quiet clapping behind me. The entire family had come to listen. Edward and I stood up and bowed before our audience.

"That was lovely!" Esme exclaimed. The others nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Once again, I should be blushing scarlet, but I'm not.

"That was great you two." Alice chirped.

"Yeah, encore!" Emmett boomed.

I was nervous at first, but suddenly a wave of calm washed over me. I threw a glance at Jasper, who smirked. I looked at Edward, who nodded his head slightly. So we sat back down on the piano bench.

The only other song I knew perfectly was Hatikva, so that's what I began to play. Edward joined in, playing an octave lower, as I started to sing the words. "Kol ode ba-lay-vav, pa-a-ni-i-ma. Ne-fesh ya-hoo-dee, ho-o-mee-ee-a-a…" **(A/n: this is my attempt at spelling out the Hebrew words in English. It looks weird, but the song is actually beautiful. Look it up, it's almost as beautiful as Bella's lullaby.)**

Once again, my heart seemed to swell with hope. I knew that no matter what lay ahead, no matter what obstacles I'd have to face, I would never give up, and I would triumph in the end, with Edward and my entire new family always by my side.

* * *

**btw, i've never seen casablanca, i just googled movies that came out in 1942, and that was the first one i found.**

**also, about the man with the broken leg that carlisle helped: one of the most infamous death camps, Auschwitz, was home to the laboratories of Dr. Josef Mengele, also called the Angel of Auschwitz. Dr. Mengele was fascinated with twins and also with helping Hitler create the perfect Aryan race (aka blond-haired, blue-eyed Christians). Dr. Mengele would go through the line of arriving people, and pull out any twins, or even a few others with beautiful Aryan features to save them from the gas chambers. These select few stayed in separate barracks, close to the labs where Mengele performed his experiments. They were horrific, unscientific experiments that were in many cases worse than torture. He stuck needles in their eyes, castrated the males, performed stomach surgeries, put drops in their eyes that made them blind, and subjected them to terrible diseases like typhus along with many other horrors. Mengele tried to find out whether the twins would react the same to his experiments. Many of them died. The survivors suffered from insomnia, constant crying, paranoia, and uncontrollable rages and breakdowns.**

**This sounds like a history lesson, doesn't it? And the part where edward and bella were hunting sounded like a science lesson. well, that's what we were learning about in science when i wrote that part, and it did seem to fit. Besides, bella seems like the kind of person that cares about the environment and other living creatures, not like the Nazis.**

**On a lighter note, the next chapter will be the holiday chapter, and i will try to have it out before the new year. and just hang on anna, Ariana's coming in soon.**

**On an extremely excited note, i've seen New Moon twice so far, and it was brilliant! Even better than Twilight! And who doesn't love shirtless Taylor Lautner?!?!?!**

**please please please please please please please please review, and i will get this next chapter out before january, but only if i get AT LEAST 2O reviews. and i would love to know your favorite parts of this chapter.**

**thanks so much,**

**~banditlover~**


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